ALGERINE-Class Fleet Minesweeper fitted with Turbine
propulsion machinery ordered on 15th November 1940 from Harland and Wolff, Belfast. Laid down on
15th March 1941 at the same time as sister ship ESPIEGLE. She was launched on 22nd September 1942.as the fifth
RN ship to carry this name, introduced for a captured French Brig Sloop in 1810 and last borne by a Sloop
built at Sheerness in 1901 and sold in 1925 at Sydney, Australia after service as a Survey Ship. Her build
was completed on 23rd January 1943, This warship was adopted by the civil community of Friern Barnet, then in Middlesex, after a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign in March 1942.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue,
a fan tailed pigeon, proper.
D e t a i l s o f W a r S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search
1 9 4 3
January Contractors trials and commissioned
for service in 12th Minesweeping Flotilla.
23rd
Build completion and
commenced Acceptance Trials.
On completion took
passage to Tobermory for work-up and preparation for operational
minesweeping duties.
(Note: Ships intended
for use as convoy escorts were subjected to extensive training
exercises
at Tobermory.
See THE
TERROR OF TOBERMORY by Richard Baker.)
February After Work-up took passage to Port
Edgar to carry out minesweeping training.
Commenced minesweeping
training in Forth area
(Note: For details of
minesweeping equipment and background see THE TORPEDOMEN
by E N
Poland.)
March Deployed at Port Edgar for
minesweeping training. See above reference.
Prepared for passage to
Mediterranean for operational service.
April Passage to Bizerta to join
Flotilla
(Note: HM Minesweepers CIRCE and ESPIEGLE had joined earlier to replace ships recently
lost or
damaged in the Mediterranean).
On arrival replaced HMS
ALGERINE which had been withdrawn from service after damage
during air attack in
December 1942.
Deployed with Flotilla
for convoy defence and patrol off North Africa coast between Bizerta
and Algiers. For
details see Naval Staff History)
May Flotilla nominated for joint
operations with 13th Minesweeping Flotilla for mine clearance to
ensure safe passage
through Galita and Sicilian Channels.
(Operation ANTIDOTE).
9th Deployed at Bizerta for ANTIDOTE
with the two minesweeping Flotillas.
20th Sustained major damage when mine
exploded in her minesweeping gear being towed astern.
Stern structure was
destroyed.
Taken in tow to Bizerta
by HMS CADMUS of Flotilla.
June Ship withdrawn from
operational service.
P o s t W a r
N o t e
HMS FANTOME underwent
temporary repair at Bizerta to enable her to return under tow to UK but this
was not carried out until
conditions in the Mediterranean made this practicable.. Since more minesweepers
of this Class and other types were
becoming available no further repair work was carried out after arrival and she
was declared a Constructive Total
Loss. Placed on the Disposal List after VJ Day this ship was sold to BISCO in
January 1947 for demolition by TW Ward at Milford Haven where she arrived in
tow on 22n May 1947.
For more about Algerine-class Minesweepers, see
http://www.minesweepers.org.uk/index.htm